Searching
by BBShipper
Summary: Maddie now 21 is walking along the road trying to get outta town. She gets picked up as hitchiker by someone from her past...is past just past or will there be a search for something more?
1. Picked up

She walked down the long winding road, feeling the wind in her hair and hot earth beneath her feet made her feel free

She walked down the long winding road, feeling the wind in her hair and hot earth beneath her feet made her feel free. Finally after hours of walking a car passed by, she managed to get the driver to stop. "Where are you heading?" the blonde haired driver asked staring at the girl before him. Her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders, her denim skirt showing off her shapely legs, her shirt clinging in all the right places. "Wherever you're heading" she said with a smile, he smiled back. "Hop in" he insisted. As they started driving along the long road ahead they started to make conversation. "Do you always hitchhike?" he teased, she laughed at him and crossed her legs. "Its definitely new to me, so where are we going?" "You'll see when we get there" he said glancing at her with a smile before turning his eye back to the road. She laughed reaching in her bag, looking like she was looking for something in particular. "Looking for something?" he asked. "Just my pepper spray..incase you try anything" she teased. "Ahaa so you've been in my car 5 minutes and you've already judged me and figured out what I'm all about, that's nice" he joked. "I don't judge, that's the whole reason I'm in a stranger's car. So don't be such a stranger, tell me about yourself…starting with your name" she spoke curling her feet up underneath her. "Ahh ok. I'm Zack, I'm 18, lived in Boston until last year with my mom and my brother now I live alone in an apartment with my dog Rodie in Brentwood Tennessee, I dropped outta school due to stress and depression and that's when I figured I should move. A fresh start, ok now you go," he said giving her a quick glance. " I'm Maddie, 21, moved to a college away from home but dropped out to pursue a singing career I was getting somewhere until 6 months ago my agent skipped town taking all my earnings with him. So I moved back home, I actually lived in Boston too but my parents got sick of me a few weeks ago so I've been crashing at friends houses until now" she explained. Zack's stomach dived when she said her name, she said she used to live in Boston..is this my Maddie? He thought to himself, suddenly seeing the striking resemblance she had to his Maddie. He decided not to say anything, she obviously didn't remember him after all he was just another kid with a crush on the candy counter girl. He seems really familiar Maddie thought to herself, he's from Boston too…could this be my Zack?

After a few hours of driving they finally reached their destination. "Welcome to apartment a la Zack" Zack joked as he opened his front door. Inside it was tiny but clean and respectable, especially for a guy of his age. "Nice place" she smiled stepping inside. "Thanks..can I get you anything? Water, soda, beer?" he asked politely. "Guy after my own heart, I'd love a beer thanks" she smiled as he made his way into the kitchen. She heard the sound of the refrigerator door closing and the sound of bottles being opened. "I haven't been here for a few days so I'm gonna have to order some food in, pizza sound ok?" he asked as they sat down on the couch. Maddie's stomach grumbled, "sounds great" she giggled. Zack started dialing the number of a local pizza delivery and ordered what they wanted, "should be about 30 minutes," he stated. "So uhh by the sounds of things you don't have a place to stay…and your not headed nowhere, I've got a spare room if your interested" he offered casually swigging his beer. Maddie smiled, she couldn't believe how sweet he was…it wouldn't be so surprising if this did turn out to be her Zack. "Are you sure? That's so nice thank you so much". "No problem. I'll just go make up the guest bed" he spoke setting his bottle down and heading out of the living area. She took the opportunity to check out Zack's living room; she looked at a few pictures lying around. She really could see a striking resemblance between the guy that she was with now and the guy that she left in Boston all those years ago. She saw a photo album lying on his table, she picked it up checking he was still in another room and started flicking through it. She was almost at the end when something caught her eye, a picture of him in front of a hotel…if only she could make out the name. She looked at it closer and suddenly realized, it was the Tipton.


	2. Revelations andRomance?

"Hey so your room is all made up" Zack said as he re entered the living room, Maddie slammed the photo album shut quickly and

"Hey so your room is all made up" Zack said as he re entered the living room, Maddie slammed the photo album shut quickly and turned to him. "Zack" she whispered with tears in her eyes, "is..is that you?". "Maddie" he smiled softly walking towards her, "I thought I'd lost you forever". She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shirt, "I..i missed..you so much" she babbled through her tears. "I thought I'd lost you forever" he whispered holding her even more tightly, tears threatening to fall out of his eyes. "You'll never lose me Zack never" she said pulling out of the embrace and looking into his eyes, "because I'll always be in here" she smiled putting her hand over his heart. "Maddie why did you go? I mean I know you were going to college but I just..i thought you'd always be closer, I felt so alone without you" Zack admitted as they sat down on the couch again. Maddie put her face in her hands, "I wanna tell you the truth but…" she broke off. "Hey hey you know you can tell me anything" he said forcing her to look at him. "The truth is I moved away to college to get away from my family, my dad he started hitting my mom and then he started on me..remember how I came into work that day with a huge cut on my face? Yeah he started on me with a glass bottle after he'd drank too much. So I filled out that college application form and never looked back" she admitted with tears dripping down her face. Zack wiped away her tears, "you should of told me I would of made sure you were safe". Maddie laughed half heartedly, "you were just a kid back then Zack I wasn't about to dump all my problems on you..but I knew you were there". "Wait I thought you said you'd been staying with your parents again until recently when they cut you off?" Zack said confusingly. "Things are better now. Dad came to after he was arrested for landing my mom in the hospital, short stint in jail and a long rehabilitation program and he was soon back to his old loving self" she smiled. "So what about this agent of yours huh? How'd he manage to get away with all your money?" Zack asked before the doorbell rang, "must be the pizza I'll be right back" he smiled grabbing his wallet.

"I'm serious dude that was the best pizza I've ever tasted" Maddie exclaimed as she licked the last of the cheese off her fingers. Zack laughed "I've never seen a girl eat more than me before". "Well this girl aint so ordinary..you already know that" she smiled. "I do indeed..oh wait you have something on your face" he said wiping a bit of cheese out of the corner of her mouth, their faces were as close as they'd ever been before. They locked eyes, "Maddie I'm sorry" he spoke pulling away running a hand through his hair. Maddie grabbed onto his arm, "no..don't be" she said pulling him back to her. "I've been waiting for this a long time Maddie" he smiled pushing her hair back off her face, "then don't wait any longer" she said before pushing her lips to his. As soon as her lips hit his Zack couldn't help himself any longer, he pushed her back on the couch and the kiss soon turned into a makeout. They could feel their heartbeats racing and they couldn't take their hands off each other, Zack soon found himself trying to pry open the buttons on her shirt. Maddie stopped kissing him, "Zack..maybe we should stop". Zack got up off of her and paced the floor, "I..i'm sorry I know I know I'm moving too fast I'm really sorry". "Quit apologizing Zac" she spoke as she regained her breath, "I was just gonna say why don't we move into your room" she suggested. She smiled and Zack smiled back before scooping her up in his arms, she squealed as he started walking up the stairs. "To my room it is".


	3. Shocked?

Maddie awoke in Zac's arms

Maddie awoke in Zac's arms. She sighed and snuggled into his frame, "morning to you too" Zac whispered kissing her on the head. "Last night was amazing," she said stroking his chest, "no regrets?" he asked. "Absolutely none..in fact if I'd of known it would be that mindblowing I'd of got with you years ago" she stated kissing him on the cheek before jumping off his bed with the sheet wrapped around her. "Mindblowing huh? Wow now there's a confidence boost, I'm just glad I made you happy" Zack said as he stood up to get dressed. "Zac..you got any clothes that will fit me?" she asked shyly. He rifled through his drawers before throwing her an old baggy ramones shirt, "I can make it work" she grinned as picked up her underwear off the floor and threw on the shirt. "The ramones have never appealed to me more" he smirked wrapping his arms around her, she leaned back into him. "You know what..breakfast can wait" she giggled pushing him back down onto the bed.

As Zac showered Maddie decided to go downstairs and start some breakfast. She opened his fridge and all she found was beer and juice. Hmm he really meant it when he said he needed to shop she thought to herself, "Zac we need to go to the grocery store your out of..everything" she yelled through the bathroom door. After he dressed he grabbed his keys and he started the short drive to the store. Maddie grabbed a trolley and they started walking around, "whatever you need its on me" Zack stated handing her his credit card. "Wow platinum nice..and how exactly did you get this? Some illegal activity I don't know about? You a male hooker?" she teased. Zack laughed, "nah its just well my mom and Cody like to know I'm secure..so since mom's music's been taking off and Cody got promoted to assistant manager at his work place I've been well taken care of". "Aww that's so sweet..ok so lets think what do we need?" Maddie said as she carried on pushing the trolley. "Ok so we have eggs, milk, bread, pasta, rice, cooked meat, yoghurt, oreos, your cereal, my cereal and coffee…that all we need?" Zack asked Maddie, he turned around and she wasn't there. "Maddie? Maddie" he called out looking around confused. "Sorry had to get necessaries" she said dumping her female products into the trolley, "ooh one second I forgot something" she said running down an aisle. "I think that's it" Maddie said casually as she dropped a box of condoms into their trolley. Zack laughed at her and shook his head, "necessaries" she giggled.

"So you don't have a job right now?" Maddie asked as they snuggled on the couch back at Zack's place. Zack shook his head, "no one's keen to hire an 18 year old school dropout". "Yeah but surely if you explain your situation to them then..i mean there's always training courses they can send you out on to brush up on what you need to know and stuff" she stated. "What are you gonna do? Think your gonna stay here with me and look for work around here?" he asked hoping she would stay. Maddie smiled and grabbed his hand, "Zack I love you and I'd love to stay but..i'm not gonna be able to make it as a singer here, I cant give up on my dreams". "I don't want you to give up on them your way too talented not to achieve what you want to achieve but..you're my dream I'm not giving up on you". "Zack you really think a long distance relationship is gonna work? Cuz its not gonna be easy you know not seeing each other for weeks maybe even months on end, not being able to just cuddle like this and talk, not being able to make –" she babbled but Zack cut her off putting his finger to her lips. "Marry me" he said. Maddie froze and had to catch her breath, "wh-what?" she stuttered. "I mean it Madeline Margaret Genevieve Miranda Catherine Fitzpatrick. Marry me..marry me now and make me the happiest man on earth" Zack said holding her face. Maddie almost sobbed with joy, "yes..yes..of course I'll marry you" she squealed before kissing him passionately. As they lay in bed that night Zack could hear Maddie babbling in her sleep, "Maddie Martin..Maddie Martin..Maddie Martin". Zack smiled to himself still in shock, she said yes.


End file.
